Sand-blasting machine



' 1,637,196 July 26, 1927. v F LEU SAND BLASTING MACHINE.

Filed.Nov.2l, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jy yz if INVENTOR July 2 ,1 927. F LEU 1,637,196

SAND BLASTING MACHINE Filed Nov.21, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 104 zz-y;

W INVENTOR Z if a 1 61W 7/ f 6/ /K;1ATroRNEYs Patented July 28, 1927.

- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

This invention relates to a sand blasting machine such as is used, for instance, in subjecting glass articles to blasts of sand in finishin the same.

An object of the invention is to provide such an apparatus which is exceedingly ellicient and rapid in operation.

Another object consists in rovidin such an apparatus which may readily be adapted so as to operate with equal success upon articles varying greatly in size and shape.

Another object consists in providi such an apparatus which includes means or revolving and rotating the articles at the same time.

Another object consists in providing such an ap aratus which includes means for va ing t e direction of impingement of t e blasts upon the articles.

Another object consists in providing certain improvements in the form, construction and arrangement of the several parts whereby the above named and other objects may be effectively attained.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawin in which ig. 1 represents a side elevation of the apparatus, partly broken away.

ig. 2 represents a top plan view of the ap aratus, partly broken away.

ig. 3 represents a section, partly broken awa taken in the plane of the line IIL-III of ig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 represents an enlarged detail section, taken in the plane of the line IV of Fi 3, looking in the direction of the arrow.

ig. 5 represents an enlarged detail section through the supporting and moving means for the articles to be treated.

Fig. 6 represents an enlarged detail section partly in elevation, showing one of the spray heads for ejecting the sand blasts.

Fig. 7 represents a detail elevation, showing a modi ed form of arrangement for inserting and removing the treated articles from the apparatus.

Fig. 8 represents a vertical section through the parts s own in Fig. 7.

The apparatus includes a box-like framework which has four sides 1, 2, 3, 4. These sides may be composed of wood and provided with suitable angle iron legs 5, 6, 7, 8, that 'larged portion 18 of a tube 19.

serve to elevate the apparatus a desirable distance above the floor or other support.

With n the members 1, 2, 3, 4 1s carried a container which has an upper cylindrical part 9, a lower cylindrical part 10, and an intermediate conical part 11. This container may be held in position b clamps 12 that are fastened to the lower. ges of the membars 1, 2, 3,4 and engage the conical part 11. This container may conveniently be composed of sheet metal.

The members 1, 2, 3, 4 have a to composed of a central portion 13 which is fixed to the said members, andside portions 14, 16 that are secured to the portion 13 by hinges 16, 17. The hinging of these arts permits ready access to the interior 0 the machine.

The member 13 has a centrally disposed aperture in which is fitted the u r enc said portion 18 of the tube has a laterally proectlng flange 20 that rests upon and 1s fastened to the top of the member 13. The tube 19 may be composed of sheet metal and, as will-be seen by reference to Fig. 3, it proj ects downwardly through the container and terminates a short distance above the bottom of the cylindrical portion 10 thereof.

The last named portion of the container has a cap 21 which is provided with a drain lug 22, and which also has a spindle bearmg 23 threaded therein. The said spindle bearing is fitted to receive the lower end of an Archimedean screw 24 which has its up per end journaled in a bearing 25 secured on .top of the flange 20. The extremity of the said upper end of the screw 24 is provided with a bevel pinion 26 that meshes with a gear 27 carried on a power shaft 28 mounted in journals 29, 30 carried on the member 13. The said shaft 28 has fast and loose pulleys, represented generally by 31, which receive a belt 32 actuated from a suitable source of ower, not shown.

The mechanism just described serves to rotate the screw 24, and thereby to draw sand, which may be placed in the container as indicated at 33, up through the tube 19 into the enlar ed portion 18 thereof. A disc 34, forme on the screw 24, serves to prevent the sand from rising more than a certain distance within the portion 18, and

also prevents it from entering the bearing 25. A suitableoverflow opening 18 may be provided in the wallof the portion 18 to permit the esca e of excess sand.

The means or ejecting the sand thus drawn up by the screw 24 includes a source of com ressed air supply which is represented y the pipe 35 that is forked into two branches 36, 37, each of wlnch communicates with a like downwardly extending pipe, only one being fully shown and hem represented by 38. The description of this pipe 38 and connected arts will serve to describe its com anion. me said pipe 38 projects downwar y through the member 13 and carries at its lower extremit a plurality of spray heads, three bein s iown in the present instance. As all t ese spray heads are alike, they will be given a common reference numeral 39, and the description of one will serve to describe all. The lower end of pipe 38 is closed with a cap 40.

Referring to Fig. 6, it will be seen that the spray head 39 is connected to the pipe 38 by a T coupling 41 which has a nipple 42 that enters at one side of a valve 43 which has a plu 44 that ma be operated by a handle 45. he other si e of the valve 43 opens into a nipple 46 that is threaded into another T coupling 47. The lateral opening of coupling 47 receives a bushing 48 which is adjustably held therein b a screw 49, and projects outwardly there rom so as to receive one end of a flexible tube 50. The other end of tube 50 is fitted to a nipple 51 that opens out from the enlarged portion 18 of the tube 19 below the disc 34. It will be understood that two similar nipples 51 are adapted to receive flexible tubes that communicate with the other of the three spray heads 39; and it may be added that nipples 52 are arranged for slmilar communication with spray heads on the com anion to pipe 38 hereinbefore mentioned. he third opening of coupling 47 carries a spray nozzle 53 which is suitably flared for ejecting the sand. A bushing 54 is located in the bore of the coupling 47 between the end of the nipple 42 and the bushing 48. It should be stated that bushings 48 and 54 are composed of wear resisting material, such as hardened steel, and are formed so as to be reversible in order to rolong their useful life. The fact that t e coupling 41 is threaded onto pipe 38 enables the adjustment of the spray heads 39 in a rotary direction about the said pipe so as to permit them 'to eject the sand in any desired direction.

The air entering the coupling 47 through pipe 38, valve 43 and nipple 42 will cause a suction in bushing 48 and pipe 50 whereby sand will be sucked throu h the portion 18 and the tube 19 and ejecte from nozzle 53. A similar 0 eration will take place in the other spray eads 39 carried by ipe 38 and in the other spray heads carried y the pipe desired. Operation of the plug 44 in valve 43 will serve to stop the operation of any spray head when desired.

'Branch pipes 55 project from the air supply pipe 38 and extend'downwardly through the cover member 13. The lower ends of these pipes are provided with spray heads 56, only one being shown in the drawings. Each of these spray heads 56 is the same as the spray heads 39, so that it is not necessary to describe their construction, but it may be said that each is connected by flexible pipe 57 with a nipple 58 that rojects from the enlarged portion 18 of tu 19. As a result of this arrangement, the passage of air from the spray heads 56 will suck sand through pipes 57 and eject the same as already described in connection with spray heads 39. If desired, the operation of the spray heads 56 may be terminated b closing valves 59 which are located in the ranch pipes 55. It will be understood that the number of spray heads 56 may be increased or decreased as desired.

The mechanism for supporting and moving the articles to be subjected to the sand blasts includes a ring 60 which is T shaped in cross section and is fixedly supported by a plurality of brackets 61 that are fastened to the interior of the conical part 11 of the container. This ring 60 carries two sets of bearing rollers 62, 63, which are fixed thereto by screws 64, 65, and the said rollers serve as vertical and lateral supports for a hollow annulus 66, that has a spiral ring or crown gear 67 formed at the lower edge thereof.

trips 68 of felt, or other suitable material, are set into the lateral edges of the ring 60', and bear against the annulus 66, so as to prevent the ingress of sand between the said parts.

The ring gear 67 is designed to mesh with a worm 69 that is carried on a shaft 70 which is sufpported in brackets 71 secured to plates 71 astened to the bottom of the members 2, 3 and 4. One extremity of shaft 70 carr1es a friction disc 72 which is designed to mate with a friction gear 73 that is'slidably but not rotatably mounted on a shaft 74. A bracket 75 depends from one of the lates 71 and carries a thumb screw 76 at its ower end, which thumb screw abuts the extremity of haft 70 away from disc 72, whereby the screw 76 is adapted to move the shaft 70 in its bearings 71 so as to bring about proper engagement between disc 72 and friction gear 73. Slidable adjustment of the ear 73 on the shaft 74 will serve to va t e relative driving speed of the shafts 0 and 74.

Shaft 74 is mounted'in bearings 77 that mamas are fixed to a plate 4' attached to the memher 4, and the upper end of said shaft carriea a mitre r 78 that meshes wlth a pinion 79 whic is fixed to the end of power shaft 78 op ite to the gear 27.

As a resu t of this arrangement, the same power shaft may be used for driving'the Archimedean screw 24 and the annulus 66, and the relative s of rotation of these parts ma be varied as desired by ad ustment of t e friction gear 73.

The annulus 66 carries a plurality of brackets 80 (four being shown in the present instance) which are fixed thereto by screws 81, and each of these brackets supports a stub shaft 82 which is held in POSI- tion by a'set screw 83. Each of said stub shafts 82 extends u wardly from its bracket 80 and is surroun ed by a sleeve that passes through an opening formed in the top of the annulus 66. Each said sleeve has a pinion 85 kc ed thereto, and all said p1nions mesh with a circular rack 86 that is fixed to the u per part of the rin by screws 87. e portion of each s eeve 84 which extends above the annulus 66 carries a support 88 that is fastened thereto by a set screw 89, upon which support rests a.

centering block 90 and spring clips 91 which serve to movably hold the articles 92 in posi-- tion for the operation of the sand blasts.

The arran ement of the parts just described is suc that, as the annulus 66 is revolved by the worm 69, each of the sleeves 84, and parts carried thereby, will be rotated owing to the engagement of pinions 85 with gears 86. Thereby the articles 92 Wlll not only be revolved around during the travel of the annulus 66, but will be simultaneously rotated on their own axes, so as positively to ex ose all parts of their surfaces to the sand lasts emanating from the spray heads previously described.

An arran ement is rovided for unloading and loading the articles 92 from and onto the moving annulus 66, and this consists in a-sliding door 93 that travels u on tracks 94 fixed on the member 3; which oor serves to cover an opening 95 formed in the said member. A flexible connection 96 is fast at one end to a pin 97 on the door 93 and passes over a pul ey 98 fixed on leg 8, while its lower end carries a weight 99. This causes the door 93 to be continuously urged to slide in such direction as to uncover the opening 95 in the member 3. A latch 100 is carried on a rod 101 that traverses member 3 and has a finger 102 which is ada ted for engagement by tri s 103 which are xed on and project radia ly from the annulus 66. Each of the trips 103 is located adjacent a support 88 and is so arranged as to immediately follow its adjacent su port in the movement of the annulus 66. Thus, as each support 88, with its article 92, comes opposite the opening 95 in the member 8, the corres ndin tri 103 will actuate fin r 102 and y di 88 there sconnect latch 100 from door 93, thereby permitting the weight 99 to slide the door so as to uncover the opening 95 and permit the operator to remove the article 92 which has been subjected to the sand blasts and re lace it with another article to be treated. the movement of the annulus 66 is quite slow, this operation is readily accomphshed, and imme iately thereafter, the door 93 is manually closed and engaged by the latch 100. It should be mentioned that the spray heads are preferably so arranged that they will not, at any time, throw a jet of sand toward the opening 95.

In the modified form shown in Figs. 7 and 8, no door is rovided, but an aperture 104 is formed in t e cover member 15 and is surmounted by a T shaped piece 105-which permits the hand and arm of the operator to be lnserted for the purpose of withdrawing and replacin the articles, which are here represented y 106. This arrangement is especially adaptable when comparatively small articles are being treated.

It isbelieved that the operation of the device will be clear from the fore oing description, but it may be briefl state that the articles to be treated are aced one at a time upon the centering devices and clips 90, 91 carried on the supports 88. The spray heads are adjusted so as to project at the des1red angles in order to most effectivel operate upon the particular kinds of artic es to be treated, and the apparatus is set in operation. Its work is, thereafter, automatic, and it is only necessary to remove and replace the articles as they intermittently arrive opposite the opening or the opening 104, as the case may be. In some cases, it may be desirable to use more or less of the spray heads, and it will be clear that the arrangement of the latter, as well as the particular manner of moving the articles to be treated, is such as to enable most thorough and effective oper tion of the sand blasts upon all ortions of the articles at the most desiralble angles for successful results. Of course, the centering blocks 90 and clips 91 may be changed to suit the shape and size of the articles being treated.

It will be understood that various changes may be resorted to in the form, construction and arrangement of the severalparts without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention and hence, I do not intend to be limited to the details herein shown and described, except as they may be included in the claims.

What I claim is:

1 An apparatus of the character described comprlsing, a container for the sand, a tube within the container, a screw within the tube for moving the sand upwardly therein to a discharge oint, a spray head for the sand connected to said discharge point, another spray head for the sand also connected to said discharge point, and means for supporting and moving the articles to be treated in an annular path beneath sa d first named spray head and outside of said other spray head.

2. An apparatus of the character described comprising, a container for the sand, a tube within the container, a screw within the tube for moving the sand upwardly therein to a discharge point, a set of spray heads for the sand connected to said discharge point, another set of spra heads for the sand also connected to sai discharge point, and means for supporting and moving the articles to be treated in an annular pat beneath said first named set of spray heads and outside of said other set of spray heads, the spray heads of said other set being 1ndividually adjustable so as to cause them to eject the sand in different directions.

3. An apparatus of the character described comprising, means for supporting and moving the articles to be treate in an annular path and for simultaneously rotating said articles, said means comprising a fixed ring, an annulus mounted to travel on said ring, a rack gear carried by sa1d ring, an article support on said annulus, a in1on on said article support engaging sai rack gear, and means for rotating said annulus.

4. An apparatus of the character described comprising, a container forthe sand, a tube within the container, a screw within thev tube for moving the sand upwardly therein to a discharge (point, a spray head for the sand eonnecte to sa1d discharge point, a ring fixed in said container surrounding said tube, an annulus mounted to travel on said ring, a rack gear carried by said ring, an article support on said annulus, a pinion on said article support engagin said rack gear, and means for rotating said annulus.

5. An apparatus of the character described comprising, a container for the sand, a tube within the container, a screw within the an tube for moving the sand upwardl therein to a discharge point, a s ra hea for the sand connected to said isc arge point,'a ring fixed in said container surrounding said tube, an annulus mounted to travel on said ring, a rack gear carried by said ring, an article support on said annulus, a mion on said article support engagin sai rack gear, a worm gear on said annu us, a worm engaging said worm gear, and common power means for actuating said worm and said screw.

6. An apparatus of the character described comprising, a container for the sand, said container aving downwardly tapered walls and a cylindrical portion at the bottom thereof, a tube within the container and projecting into said cylindrical portion, a screw within the tube for moving the sand upwardly therein to a discharge point, a rin fixed in said container surrounding sai tube, an annulus mounted to travel on said ring, a rack gear carried by said ring, an article support on said annulus, a pinion on said article support engagin said rack gear, a worm gear on said annu us, a worm engaging said worm gear, and common ower means for actuating said worm an said screw. v

7. In an apparatus of the character described, a work support comprising, a fixed ring of inverted T-shaped cross section, rollers on said ring, an annulus of inverted U-shaped cross section supported by said rollers, means for turning said annulus, article holding means mounted upon the annulus and arranged to rotate simultaneously with the turning motion thereof, and strips of yielding material arranged to close the spaces between said fixed ring and said annulus so as to prevent the ingress of sand between the two parts.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name this 7th day of November 1923.

FltEDERICK LEU. 

